Inflatable ground anchor



July 21, 1964 J. M. DUNSTON 3,141,534

INFLATABLE GROUND ANCHOR Filed Aug. 17. 1 960 INVENTOR James Mfianszon ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,141,534 INFLATABLE GROUND ANCHOR James M. Dunston, Natick, Mass, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Aug. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 50,294

4 Claims. (Cl. 189-92) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to ground anchors, and more particularly to a fluid-pressure operative ground anchor.

It is an object of my invention to provide a ground anchor that will aflord maximum holding power under a wide variety of ground conditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple, lightweight inflatable ground anchor which can be easily driven into the earth by a conventional hand tool.

Another object of my invention is to provide a fluidpressure operative ground anchor which is reusable Another object of my invention is to furnish a ground anchor having an inflatable retaining member which is inflated to hold the anchor in the ground and which is deflated to permit the anchor to be retracted.

A further object of my invention is to provide a ground anchor having an inflatable ground-retaining member which when in its deflated inoperative position does not extend beyond the outer margin of the body of the ground anchor.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an inflatable ground anchor having an adjustable guy-lineretaining device.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing my anchor in use;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section showing the inflatable sleeve in its retracted position in full line and in its expanded position in dotted line;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper end of the anchor showing the anvil mounted thereon.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral indicates the ground anchor generally which includes an elongated body 11 having a centrally disposed recess 12 at one end thereof. A pointed nose 13 having a boss 14 is secured in the recess 12 by any suitable means. The body 11 is provided with a reduced portion 15 at its lower end. An inflatable resilient sleeve 16 is positioned over the reduced portion 15 of the body 11 and is sealably secured thereto at its upper and lower ends by any suitable means such as springs 17 to render the inflatable sleeve 16 fluid-tight. As will be readily seen in FIG. 2, the reduced portion 15, together with the sleeve 16 and the means for securing the same 17, are all within the outer margin of the elongated body 11 and its pointed nose 13, thereby protecting the sleeve 16 when the anchor is driven into the ground or when the same is retracted.

The body 11 is provided with a centrally disposed bore 3,141,534 Patented July 21, 1964 18 having a valve 19 at its upper end and a passageway 20 located in the reduced portion 15 of the body 11 connecting the bore 18 with the periphery of the body 11, thereby permitting fluid under pressure to be passed from the bore 18 to the sleeve 16 to expand the same.

An adjustable guy line stop 21 is slidably positioned on the upper portion of the body 11 to maintain the guy lines 22 in position. The stop 21 is provided with threaded openings 23 positioned at right angles to one another to receive setscrews 24. The stop 21 can be positioned on the body 11 at varying points and secured thereto by tightening setscrews 24.

' first recess 26 to house the valve 19.

A removable anvil 25 is provided to cover the upper end of the body 11 and the valve 19. The anvil 25 has a recess 26 which is slightly larger than the outer margin of the body 11 and a second recess 27 located within the It will be noted from the showing of FIG. 5 that the recess 26 adequately protects the valve 19.

In operation, the anvil 25 is placed on the upper end of the anchor 10 and the anchor is then driven partially into the ground by any conventional hand tool to the position shown in FIG. 1. The anvil 25 is removed and fluid is then supplied under pressure into the valve 19, through the bore 18 and into the passageway 20. The fluid then will expand the resilient sleeve 16 to the expanded position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thereby holding the anchor in place. It will be understood that in varying ground conditions, the degree of expansion of the sleeve 16 will vary. For example, in soft ground, the sleeve 16 will compact the soil and form a balloon-like shape (see FIG. 1), while in hard ground, the sleeve 16 will not expand to the same degree. However, the holding power will be approximately the same. In order to remove the anchor, it is only necessary to release the fluid pressure, thereby enabling the resilient sleeve 16 to retract to its normal position which is, as will be noted from the showing in FIG. 2, entirely within the outer margin of the body 11.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A reusable ground anchor for securing guy lines and the like comprising an elongated body having a bore extending substantially therethrough, a tapered nose provided at one end of said body having its base portion of a width substantially identical to the width of said body, said body having a reduced portion adjacent said nose, said reduced portion having a passageway therethrough connecting its periphery with said bore, an inflatable sleeve seated in said reduced portion and covering said passageway, said inflatable sleeve normally clinging to the surface of the reduced portion of the body so as to remain within the outer margin of said body, means securing the outer ends of said sleeve to said reduced portion to render said sleeve fluid-tight, and valve means controlling the passage of fluid in said bore to inflate or deflate said sleeve.

2. A reusable fluid pressure-operative ground anchor comprising an elongated body adapted to be partially driven into the ground and provided with a tapered nose having its base portion of a width substantially identical to the width of said body, said body having a reduced portion adjacent said tapered nose, an outwardly projectable anchor-retaining member seated in said reduced portion, said anchor-retaining member normally being resiliently urged to the surface of said reduced portion so as to remain within the outer margin of said elongated body, and a fluid pressure-controlling valve mechanism carried by the upper portion of said elongated body, said body having a bore connecting the valve mechanism to the surface of the reduced portion, whereby fluid under pressure from said valve mechanism will pass through the bore to the outlet and force the anchor-retaining member beyond the outer margin of said elongated body, and whereby said anchor-retaining member will be returned to its normal position within the reduced portion of the body when the valve mechanism is actuated to release fluid pressure from the bore.

3. A reusable ground anchor comprising an elongated body adapted to be partially driven into the ground and provided with a tapered nose having its base portion of a width substantially identical to the width of said body, said body having a reduced portion adjacent the tapered nose, a resilient sleeve surrounding the reduced portion of said body and secured at its upper and lower ends to the reduced portion of the body in a fluid-tight manner, said resilient sleeve normally clinging to the surface of the reduced portion of the body so as to remain within the outer margin of the elongated body, and a fluid pressure-controlling valve mechanism carried by the upper portion of the elongated body, said body having a bore connecting the valve mechanism to the surface of the 25 outer margin of the elongated body, and whereby the sleeve will be returned to its inoperative position within the reduced portion of the body by its own resiliency when the valve mechanism is actuated to release fluid pressure from the bore.

4. A reusable ground anchor for securing guy lines and the like comprising an elongated body having a bore extending substantially therethrough, said body having a reduced portion adjacent one end thereof, said reduced portion having a passageway therethrough connecting its periphery with said bore, an inflatable anchor-retaining member seated in said reduced portion and covering said passageway, said inflatable member normally clinging to the surface of the reduced portion of the body so as to remain within the outer margin of said body, means sealably securing said inflatable member to said reduced portion to render same fluid tight, and valve means controlling the passage of fluid in said bore to inflate or deflate said sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 798,654 Bliler Sept. 5, 1905 2,269,646 Burke Jan. 13, 1942 2,870,881 Rogge Jan. 27, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 703,654 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1954 

1. A REUSABLE GROUND ANCHOR FOR SECURING GUY LINES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING A BORE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THERETHROUGH, A TAPERED NOSE PROVIDED AT ONE END OF SAID BODY HAVING ITS BASE PORTION OF A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID BODY, SAID BODY HAVING A REDUCED PORTION ADJACENT SAID NOSE, SAID REDUCED PORTION HAVING A PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH CONNECTING ITS PERIPHERY WITH SAID BORE, AN INFLATABLE SLEEVE SEATED IN SAID REDUCED PORTION AND COVERING SAID PASSAGEWAY, SAID INFLATABLE SLEEVE NORMALLY CLINGING TO THE SURFACE OF THE REDUCED PORTION OF THE BODY SO AS TO REMAIN WITHIN THE OUTER MARGIN OF SAID BODY, MEANS SECURING THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE TO SAID REDUCED PORTION TO RENDER SAID SLEEVE FLUID-TIGHT, AND VALVE MEANS CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF FLUID IN SAID BORE TO INFLATE OR DEFLATE SAID SLEEVE. 